The morning light spilled across Elena's floor in long golden lines, the kind that made everything look softer than it really was. Her phone sat on her nightstand, still on silent. She hadn't touched it since the call.
Not because she was avoiding anything.
But because—for the first time in over a week—she didn't need to.
She was okay.Actually okay.
Not because everything was figured out, not because some big conversation had solved the tension, but because she had done something brave.Even if it didn't look like it from the outside.
Calling Alexander hadn't been part of a plan. She hadn't rehearsed it in her head for hours. She hadn't written a message and deleted it six times before dialing. She had just… done it.
And the world didn't break open.He hadn't pulled away.He had answered.
And not just answered—but been there, like he always was, without making it complicated.
She lay back against her pillow, hair spilling across the fabric, eyes unfocused on the ceiling.
Maybe it didn't mean anything.Maybe it was just two people who liked talking.Maybe she'd overthought the whole thing.
But… maybe not.
Because something about the way he said, "I don't either. But I know I like it," stuck in her chest.
Not like a weight.
More like warmth.
Something she hadn't realized she was waiting for.
She hadn't wanted to say I missed you last night.
She really hadn't.
But it slipped out because it was true.
And even now, in the quiet aftermath, she didn't regret it.
It didn't feel like a confession.It didn't feel like crossing a line.
It felt like… the beginning of something. Something small.Something nice.
That word stayed in her head longer than she expected.
Nice.
Not wild. Not dramatic. Not butterflies and obsession and heart-racing nonsense.
Just something that made her feel steady. Known. Maybe even safe.
And with everything else in her life being so loud and rushed and performed…
Nice felt like the most beautiful thing she could ask for.
She got up, finally, and stretched.
The day waited for her—classes, errands, her usual rhythm. But now there was something new in it. A thread she could follow.
She didn't need to text him right away.She didn't need to rush anything.
But she had a feeling… she would hear from him again.
And next time, maybe she'd be a little less afraid to let it go somewhere.